The skin can help restore a patient with multiple sclerosis

(Researchers) - Researchers say it is possible to use the skin of multiple sclerosis patients to treat the damage caused by the disease that cannot be cured yet.

The nervous system has difficulty carrying out the function of transmitting information in patients with multiple sclerosis because the membrane covering the nerve fibers is attacked by the immune system itself, causing damage and fatigue.

Modified skin cells are used to restore nerve-encased membranes in animal tests.

Just like wires, nerves also have membranes, which are composed of proteins and are called myelin .

However, diseases that harm the myelin sheath, including multiple sclerosis, make bioelectric signals difficult to transmit in the body.

A group of scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center (USA) used the results of stem cell studies to restore myelin membranes.

They take a sample of human skin and convert it into stem cells, which can grow into any other type of cell on the body.

The next step is to transfer stem cells into immature myelin-forming cells in the brain. When injecting these cells into unmyelinated born mice, the scientists obtained remarkable results. Dr. Steven Goldman said that myelin was formed in the nervous system and some mice had normal life cycles again.

He added: 'In patients with multiple sclerosis, the underlying nerves remain, scientists' goal is to reconstruct meylin'.

However, multiple sclerosis patients still face the problem of their immune system attacking the myelin membrane. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures with therapies to control the immune system.

Dr. Goldman said 'there is no reason to be pessimistic' although in the future there still need to be more tests and techniques need to be further screened before applying to humans. He hopes the test will be conducted within a few years.

Dr. Emma Gray from the Sclerosis Association said: 'Myelin recovery therapy is now essential in treating multiple sclerosis, we hope researchers can create cells from stem cells. This is only the first stage of the study, but someday the research results may be used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. We hope to have more research in this promising field. '